Partings Interlude
by Belles.diner
Summary: I think about this every time I watch the ending of Partings. It's just a one-shot (I've said that before, huh?) But anyway, this bugs me every time I watch the end of that episode and I just wanted to finally put fingers to keys and get it out because my husband is tired of me saying it when I make him watch it.


**Partings Interlude**

 **A/N: I own nothing Gilmore Girls. But I think about this every time I watch the ending of Partings. It's just a one-shot (I've said that before, huh?) But anyway, this bugs me every time I watch the end of that episode and I just wanted to finally put fingers to keys and get it out because my husband is tired of me saying it when I make him watch it.**

The loft that had been filled with loud music, boisterous people, and drunken ramblings was now quieted, the guests long gone, the buzz worn off for the 4 that were left. There were red cups littered around, terribly cliché British decorations on the wall, and a soft hum of the stereo turned down to almost nothing, just enough to break the silence, but not enough to focus on, and somewhere off in the distance a vibration of a cell phone.

"You're really leaving us tomorrow?" Finn asked in a rare sober moment, the weight hitting the group, but especially the girl cuddled up into Logan's side. He felt her tense and then slightly shake, letting a few tears fall down.

"I'm really leaving." He squeezed Rory a little tighter as he said it, refusing to let go at almost any point tonight. "Listen guys, I thank you for this evening, for helping my girl plan this. But…"

"We got it. Come on Finn, let's go." As the three men stood to walk to the door Colin and Finn both men turned to Rory and gave her a small smile, before walking over.

"Take care of her, check on her, anything. Just make sure she's okay?" Logan asked them, they had this conversation at the Pub earlier in the night, but he had to reiterate it, he had to make sure she was taken care of otherwise he didn't know if he'd be able to leave. He already wasn't sure if he'd be able to leave her. The thought of her standing at security while he passed through, that thought was enough to make his heart clench in his chest. There's no way she could go with him.

"We will man. 2 years ago, who would've thought our final words were going to be about a girl." Colin tried to joke but he saw Logan's face, he knew the joke failed but his friend sent him a forced smile. "Alright, we'll see you soon."

As Logan came back to the living room he saw Rory, still in her striking red dress, white stockings, thankfully she had taken that awful wig off. He couldn't help but smile at her. "Do you want to change into something more comfortable?" He smirked as he sat down and wrapped his arms around her again.

"Well, I do have some footsy pajamas somewhere." Her voice cracked a little as she bantered back to him.

"I always knew you were that type of girl." He couldn't help his voice from breaking a little bit too as he said it. How was he supposed to leave? It was the question that bothered him all day, actually it had bothered him for months, ever since he found out he had to go to London for a year. Yeah, they had worked out dates she would come visit him. He tried to get her to spend her summer with him, but she rightfully pointed out that he needed to acclimate himself and he couldn't do that if she was there. He heard the phone vibrating in the background again. "Aren't you going to get that?"

"No. It's mom. She knows what tonight is, she can wait." She was curious on what her mom wanted but it was her last night with Logan for months and she had to focus on that. With all of the issues that were going on with her mom and Luke she knew it would be a long conversation, one that she didn't have the emotional mindset to handle right now.

"Rory, if your mom needs you, you can take the call." Logan didn't want to say it, but he needed Rory too. He needed tonight.

"What about what I need? No, tonight, I'm going to be selfish." She burrowed herself into his side. Yes, tonight she would be selfish, tomorrow she could go to Stars Hollow and be there for her mom but tonight she needed Logan.

He kissed the top of her head, "Go ahead and be selfish babe." The silence enveloped the room, getting heavier with each passing minute. "Ror, we need to talk about it."

"No!"

"Rory, come on!"

She jumped off the couch and away from him. "No! I don't want to deal with this. If I have to deal with this I have to accept the fact that in 8 hours, you'll be leaving our home for a year! A year Logan. Excuse me that I'm the only one affected by this!" Oh shit, that's not what she wanted to say, hell, she didn't even mean it. She knew Logan was bothered too. She could see it in his eyes all night. "Logan I didn't—" But he held his hand up and stood up from the couch.

"Is that what you think? You think that this doesn't affect me!?"

"No, Logan I don't. I'm sorry."

But he still wasn't ready to hear it. "This is killing me, I've asked you to come with me, I've asked you to tell me not to go, I've done everything short of taking you in my luggage as a stowaway and paying the extra fee for exceeding the weight limit!"

"It's private Logan there's no extra fees."

"I've done everything to have you come with me! And you won't!"

"I can't! I can't because you need this! You have to have this time, I know you have to have this time. You are going to kick so much ass and you're going to find out just how successful you can be and just how intelligent you are, and I have to be over here, without you and I have to watch it all from across the god damn Atlantic and it's killing me Logan. But I know that I can't follow you, as much as I want to, as much as my whole body and soul is aching for me to go with you I can't and that is killing me, so I said something stupid and I'm sorry. I know this is affecting you too and I'm sorry." Her voice was raised but it didn't stop the cracks from making themselves known before her whole body was taken over by the sobs.

She was going to sit down but before she had the chance Logan was holding her up, running his hand down her back. She hiccupped a few times and let a few more tears out before she finally spoke again. "This isn't how I expected to spend your last night here, fighting, I mean, the tears. Those I expected." He laughed lightly at her joke.

"Hey, I didn't expect to be surrounded by a bunch of drunk idiots."

"Was the party to much?" She had almost not thrown him a party, but besides him going away, so many of them had graduated earlier in the day that a party just felt right.

"No, the party was great. I would have been happy with a night in, but I wasn't joking. The party was one of the best I've seen." A few more minutes passed before he spoke up again. "I'm so incredibly thankful for you Ace. Who knows if I would have even graduated at this point without you."

"You would have Logan, it may have taken you a few extra years, but you would have done it. I'm proud of you babe." She sent him a reassuring smile before kissing him. "So, how much did you have to pay Colin and Finn to watch over me?"

"I did no such thing!"

"I heard you talking about it when they left."

"Oh, they're watching over you, I'm just not paying them." She couldn't help but smile at the smirk that he had when he said that. "But you know Ace, I'm not really in the mood to talk about Colin and Finn right now."

RLRL

A few hours later Rory watched Logan as he slept, she wanted to sleep too, and she knew eventually that she would but for right now she just wanted to focus on what had happened tonight, as he thoughts started to wander she heard her phone buzz again, just like it had been most of the night indicating that her mom had left a voicemail. As she went to listen to it she felt her whole heart sink. _"Hey kiddo, it's mom. Luke and I are over. At least, I'm pretty sure we are. I wanted to run away, I wanted to get married, he didn't want to. But I had to do it, you know? I had to ask for what I wanted, and it wasn't what he wanted, I know it's your last night with Logan. I'll be fine. I just needed to tell someone. I love you. Bye."_

When Rory dropped the phone on the floor in shock it inadvertently woke Logan up. "What's wrong Ace?"

"My mom and Luke broke up." It felt surreal saying it, like her tongue was made of lead and it almost hurt to think about it. "I can't believe they broke up. She asked to run away and elope, and he just couldn't do it. Which, if I'm being honest, I get. I mean, that's a big decision and to be put on the spot like that would throw me too."

"Hey, you made a pretty big decision tonight too."

"Yeah, but that wasn't the same, you know? I mean I wasn't necessarily cornered with it. Luke was. I'm not saying my mom was wrong, just that neither was Luke. I mean, I don't know. They've been having so many issues and neither one of them are talking, I just worry about my mom."

"Do you want to head over there? We can say goodbye now if you need to." _Please say no, please say no._

"No, of course not. Sorry, my phone's buzzing was just annoying me, I shouldn't have even played that message."

"Listen, I'm going to go shower, so it's one less thing I have to do in a few hours before I leave, why don't you call your mom. I know it's in the middle of the night but I'm sure she'd love to hear from you." He gave her a small kiss before he turned and went into the bathroom. For a moment she was distracted by the back of him, reminding herself of the picture she had taken just yesterday, she got lost in the thought for a moment until she heard the shower start and she dialed the home phone. No one picked up at her mother's house or her cell phone. Looking at the clock Rory didn't think to much of it as she went back and laid in bed, waiting for Logan to come back.

RLRL

"If you go I won't get on the plane." Rory felt her heart crumble at those words, how was she supposed to argue with that? Because if she went she didn't know if she wouldn't get on the plane too. She could hear him rambling about the apartment, and the car service, doesn't he know that means nothing? It won't replace him, this apartment, this big apartment will just be wasted space without him, the car service? That way I can be inundated with memories of the two of us in the back seat? Or him letting me use it before, when we were barely anything? And now we're nothing and he's leaving? She's brought out of her thoughts by his hand at the back of her head, pulling her closer to him and kissing him.

She can't help herself from bringing her left hand up to hold onto his cheek, she doesn't even register the engagement ring that got caught on her pajama sleeve.

 **A/N: Anytime I watch this episode I see her left hand reach up and I always think, what if she had gotten engaged? What if while her mom's engagement was ending, hers was beginning?**


End file.
